I work at a community centre, which has a nursery for children under 5. The team would like to have some plants to make their garden area nicer, but the plants must be both toddler resistant and 'child safe' in that they mustn't cut, scratch, skewer or po

Answers

sounds like a sunflower competition to me , this not only shows them the plants but takes them through planting ,repotting ,watering etc , this will also keep their attention as sunflowers grow so quickly , dont know if this is practical in the community centre just an idea.

Okay I think you guys have misunderstood the question which is, if I understood correctly, flowers to grow to make the garden look nicer for the children - not flowers for the children to grow (correct me if I'm wrong Susan) If I've got it right then: aubretia, french and african marigolds, pansies, in fact just about all bedding plants...

If I'm wrong and you want something for the children to grow sunflowers are an option but pot marigolds are also fun and less prone to wind damage, seeds are nice and big for the wee ones to handle and the plant flowers at a level with the child.

I'd definitely get the children involved in growing at least some of the plants for their garden. Why miss such a great opportunity. I'd also include a few easy-to-grow veggies, such as broad beans, climbing beans, courgettes, etc. Also, type "poisonous plants" into the search box at the top right of this page to get loads of interesting info from around GOY. :-)